An Introduction to the Structure and Performance of Polymer Electrolyte Membranes and their Applications

In recent years, research on polymer electrolytes (PEs) has been developed, because these materials can be considered as a suitable alternative to liquid electrolytes in various applications. Using polymer electrolytes solve the problems of solvent leakage, dendrite growth (lithium dendrite in lithium ion batteries), internal short circuit, use of corrosive solvent and production of harmful gases. During the last three decades, the introduction of polymer electrolyte membranes has led to significant progress in expanding and improving the performance of electrochemical devices such as batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, sensors, solar cells, etc. In general, PEs are ion-doped structures that have the ability to transfer and exchange ions via ion conducting sites. In various applications, polymer electrolyte membranes should provide properties, such as flexibility and proper filmability, high safety, suitable ionic conductivity for practical applications, low electrical conductivity, good mechanical strength, and thermal and electrochemical stability. In this article, in order to develop a sufficient knowledge of polymer electrolyte membranes, their specific chemical structure, ion transport mechanisms, methods of improving properties, as well as the applications of polymer electrolytes (such as fuel cells, batteries, capacitors, etc.) has been reviewed